Cole Palmer is back in Chelsea training while Martin Odegaard is facing a spell on the sidelines (Picture: CFC / Getty)
Arsenal fans are fuming over the club’s decision to allow Martin Odegaard to play for Norway during the international break.
The Gunners are facing an anxious wait after their skipper was injured during last night’s 2-1 win over Austria.
Odegaard limped off midway through the second half after twisting his ankle following an awkward challenge from Christoph Baumgartner.
The 25-year-old was pictured boarding a private plane back to London on Tuesday with the aid of crutches and will undergo assessments at Arsenal’s training base.
Mikel Arteta’s side, already without Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, will now likely be forced to contend without their skipper for Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham.
Providing an update on the playmaker’s situation in the immediate aftermath of last night’s match, Norway’s team doctor, Ola Sand, gave an encouraging but still uncertain update to TV2.
He said: ‘Martin is doing quite well now. He got a small ankle sprain. We will see throughout the evening and tomorrow what happens next and what we will do about it.
Martin Odegaard suffered an ankle injury midway through the second half of Norway’s game against Austria (Credits: Ane Frosaker/SPP/Shutterstock)
‘Ankle sprains are difficult to deal with straight away, so we almost have to see how things go forward
‘We will examine him when we are back at the hotel. Maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow.’
Given Odegaard already appeared to be carry an injury heading into the international break after he failed to last 90 minutes against Brighton, Arsenal fans have been questioning the wisdom of letting him represent his country in the first place.
Arsenal’s misery, meanwhile, has been compounded by the sight of Cole Palmer returning to Chelsea training on Monday having pulled out of the England squad a week earlier.
Erling Haaland looked concerned for his international captain Martin Odegaard (Credits: VEGARD GRØTT/BILDBYRÅN/Shutterst)
How Arsenal could line up on Sunday.
The former Manchester City star cemented his place as an integral part of the Three Lions set-up following his eye-catching displays at Euro 2024 but will play no part in the first two games of Lee Carsley’s tenure.
Palmer was also left out of Chelsea’s Conference League squad in an effort to manage his workload more effectively amid fears of burnout and Arsenal fans are at a loss to explain why their club haven’t taken the same approach with Odegaard, especially ahead of a daunting run of fixtures.
‘So frustrating,’ lamented one supporter on X. ‘Palmer Watkins foden all backed out over literally nothing. And they all probs training. Odegaard was already playing with a knock and he went for another injury. Why do we never take out our players.’
Another commented: ‘I hope the Arsenal hierarchy are learning lessons. We can’t keep sending our injured best players to play unnecessary International tournaments. Odegaard already had a knock. Look at what Chelsea did with Palmer.’
And a third unhappy Gooner said: ‘Palmer, Foden, and others not going for international games but Arsenal have to be the nice guys and send our entire team out to get them injured. Why?’
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